Disclaimer: No, I am not owner of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series or any of its characters… Had I been, this would've happened.

Hey, guys!

I'm Shale Namonaki! I've been writing fan fiction for a while but this is my first one for Yu-Gi-Oh! series although being a huge fan since childhood, I even got some deck of my own despite not being a great duelist… Atem would be so disappointed.

Anyway, I decided to write this because I really like Mana and Mahado. They're poorly explored.

Warning! Although this is vaseshipping… I WON'T make it fluffy since I actually want to take some major perspective for friendship, and Atem's personality.

I hope you really enjoy it! Review and constructive criticism is welcome!

Prologue

"Commander!"

Honda is tired. Too tired. Despite learning how to duel, he is still far from building the stamina required for long periods of maintaining Ka. Not to mention summon many of them. Using his right knuckles as support, he crouches, breathing quickly.

Honda knows he's doomed. His opponent is clearly a trained duelist, a powerful one. She hasn't neither sweated nor backed off during the good twenty minutes they've been duelling. He has successfully destroyed two of her Ka; just for her to replace them immediately without showing disturbance or discomfort.

"Hannibal Necromancer, Dark Claws!". Her order is just an ultimatum.

Honda closes his eyes, smiling slightly. Guys, he thinks, I've failed you.

"Gazelle, defend!"

Honda can't see what is about to happen, he's exhausted.

Closing the way of the four-legged purple creature, a horned lion-like creature appears. It moves faster than the Hannibal Necromancer, who can't position neither his red nor his green eye in the coming lion. Gazelle successfully pushes back Hannibal, sending it away from Honda's vanishing Commander.

Yami stops his race right in front of Honda, covering him from sight. Behind him, he hears Jono approaching. His eyes are focused on the lady before him, though. She wears a brown cloak, with hood on. She hides her features, switching her stance to put more shadows on her face. Behind her, a household in ruins block the sun, making difficult to look beyond her mouth. Only the feminine curves betrays her stoic stance, revealing information about the intruder.

"Who are you?!", Yami demands. "You're invading my land!"

"What you did to Honda?!", Jono shouts behind him. "You damn bastard!"

She says nothing, she doesn't even move. Instead, Hannibal Necromancer takes a defending stance in its four legs, pondering about her enemy's strength. Her posture shows confidence and power, of someone who has fought many times–and won.

"Then maybe you shall answer to my beast!". Yami rises one arm, knowing perfectly Gazelle is stronger than Hannibal. Gazelle launches forward, aiming for the throat. Yami expects her to retreat, to order her monster to evade.

However…

"Dark Claws!". Her voice surprises Yami. Something in his stomach contracts at the sound. He suddenly wishes to stop Gazelle.

Both running in four legs, Gazelle and Hannibal meet in midair. As predicted, Hannibal is overwhelmed and pinned down, Yami's Ka bites down, piercing deeply and making it vanish. Yami looks confused at her, maybe she isn't as strong as he has initially thoug

"Beware!". Jono's voice is more a distractor than a warning.

"Cerberus, finish Gazelle!"

Out of the shadow of Hannibal, a two-headed creature appears. Covering its cerulean fur, golden rings run throughout its body, although the paws are covered in blue fire. Cerberus stops before Gazelle, preparing an energy blast coming from each mouth. At shooting, cerulean and sea blue meet, creating a shinning burst of energy that strikes Gazelle in the chest, making him vanish.

"What the hell is that thing?!". Jono catches up to Yami, standing by his side.

She lured me on to attack, making Gazelle defenceless so she could destroy him. Even though Cerberus is weaker. Yami smirks. This is the challenge I've been waiting for.

"Queen's Knight, come forth!"

A lightning strikes before Yami, twisting to form a blond woman in red armour, wielding sword and shield. At his summoning, Yami notices the tension in her shoulders and arms increases. Not expecting a powerful Ka, I suppose. Although something in her stance tells him otherwise.

She's standing strictly straight, revealing a formal training; her left wrist is just below her breast, while her right arm is slightly bend at her side; she's struggling in being blank.

Jono says nothing but moves anxiously. Watching his friend's Ka. We needn't Gazelle to face a intruder before.

"Queen's Knight, attack Cerberus!"

"I don't have time for this!"

The intruder and Yami yell at the same time. She immediately drops her stoic posture. Lifting her left arm, she summons another Ka, "Black Magician Girl!"

Yami doesn't order his Ka to stop but Queen's Knight knows well, evading the dark pink sphere of energy that comes her way, even before the lighting announces the enemy. Beside the two-headed beast, a blue armoured magician floats, holding onto her staff with determination. Her features talks of a cheerful personality, although right now a deep frown betrays her master's distress.

"Impossible!", Jono cries at sensing the power oozing from the just summoned Ka. Even though not looking dangerous, he knows Honda has stepped on big trouble.

On the other side, Yami is frozen. His eyes are glued in the intruder who, despite her confidence, is displaying fear. Both her arms are in front of her, shielding her body from his sight in an obvious reserved guard. She had slightly tilted her body rightward, a signal of defiance.

Now, not just the Ka rings a bell.

The pieces of his lost memory finally give something more than a veil of darkness. He sees a face in the back of his mind. Cheerful smiles attached with glimpses of green eyes and a name appear suddenly where before only emptiness was.

"Mana?", he calls, dropping his own hood.

As response, Black Magician Girl and Cerberus disappear.